During the period in which Duane Webster led the Association for Research Libraries (ARL), powerful commercial interests sought for their own financial purposes the information resources essential for providing education and performing research. Juxtaposed was the Internet with its inherent capacity to democratizing these resources. Commercial forces often succeeded in altering copyright laws, employing contract and licenses, and even using national security tactics to accomplish their ends. The academy, led by the ARL, opposed such efforts, blunting many of them. The struggle is not over. The higher education community must continue the struggle if it is to keep information resources freely available. (Contains 3 notes.)